Management of Atrial Fibrillation in COVID-19 Pandemic
Yu‐Feng Hu, Wen‐Han Cheng, Yuan Hung, Wen-Yu Lin, Tze‐Fan Chao, Jo‐Nan Liao, Yenn‐Jiang Lin, Wei‐Shiang Lin, Yi‐Jen Chen, Shih‐Ann Chen
Abstract
The health crisis due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shocked the world, with more than 1 million infections and casualties. COVID-19 can present from mild illness to multi-organ involvement, but especially acute respiratory distress syndrome. Cardiac injury and arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF), are not uncommon in COVID-19. COVID-19 is highly contagious, and therapy against the virus remains premature and largely unknown, which makes the management of AF patients during the pandemic particularly challenging. We describe a possible pathophysiological link between COVID-19 and AF, and therapeutic considerations for AF patients during this pandemic.